new camera coming from PGR

[bird]

For those people like me who use firewire cameras for planetary imaging, there's a new high-speed video camera on the horizon from point Grey Research, coming in April 2008.

It improves on the two critical aspects for planetary work - bit depth and bandwidth. The new camera is part of the "grasshopper" series and will have a 14 bit analogue to digital converter as well as 1394b (aka 800mbit) data rate.

Don't know about the price as yet, but I expect it will be *expensive*, like their other cameras. The new camera will use the Kodak KAI0340DM ccd, as used in their other camera the Dragonfly Express. I've owned a DX for the last 2 years and had a very good time with it, on the moon it sports framerates up to 240 fps :-)

I've registered my interest and will get one for evaluation as soon as they are available.

regards, Bird

[Dennis]

Hi Anthony

Don't tell me that your images will get even better with the new camera? After all, how can you improve upon, well, perfection?:thumbsup::lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[citivolus]

At the risk of hijaking your thread, I'm waiting for these to hit planetary imagers:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0802/08020602kodaktruesense.asp

LRGB, High ISO, high resolution, low dark current and temporal noise. I'm willing to bet there are already some prototypes in development out there.

More info:

http://www.buy-n-shoot.com/news/kodak/kodak-kac-05020-cmos-image-sensor.asp

Highlights:

1.4 micron pixels
5 megapixel
720p 30fps capable
Availability Q2 2008

Regards,
Eric

[netwolf]

Bird,

Any chance Point grey could reduce cost by talking an existing DFE camera and transferring its chip to the Grasshoper body?

Edit: sent them an email inquiry and disappointingly the answer is no for a chip transfer. BTW the pricing is not firm but the target price is approx 1195USD.

Regards
Fahim